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Northeast Ohio Music Releases

Local art-rockers Mystery of Two channel the usual suspects (Television, Pere Ubu, Talking Heads) on their new four-song EP. The rough-around-the-edges opener, "Ghost," features muffled vocals and a spacey mid-song jam (which, truth be told, doesn't deviate much from the rest of the band's catalog). The other songs are much more adventurous. The band punks up Devo's "Girl U Want," but the standout is the groovy, neo-western "Out on the Weekend," where Mystery of Two successfully venture into brand-new territory. Released as a limited-edition cassette, the EP comes with a digital download code and crayons so you can color your own cover. — Jeff Niesel

On their debut album, this Akron trio evokes '80s alt-rockers like the Smiths. New Body Type's Euro sensibilities are directly reflected in the two songs they choose to faithfully cover: the Jam's "That's Entertainment" and XTC's "Making Plans for Nigel." They're not bad, but the album is so low-fi, it's a disservice to the otherwise catchy tunes. The coy "Sex Without an Earring" and the tender "As Innocent as You Want" are both evocative, but their nuances get lost in translation. With better production, Pink Boys would be far more accessible. But maybe that's not what New Body Type want. — Niesel